go up in flames

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go up in flames (third-person singular simple present goes up in flames, present participle going up in flames, simple past went up in flames, past participle gone up in flames)

1. (idiomatic, literal) To catch fire.

   Synonyms: go up in smoke; see also Thesaurus:combust

2. (idiomatic, figurative) To be cancelled or ruined without any hope of return.

   Synonyms: burn down, burn up, come to nothing, end in smoke, go up in smoke

• go down in flames